Bottle or jar stopper.



E. MBTGALF.

BOTTLE 0H J AB STOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED 11.31, 191-1..

1,1 14,625. Patented 001;.20, 191$ g a 3 I THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. FHOTO-LITHOA, WASHINGTON. D C.

n'nrrnn srnrns EDWIN METCALF, OF IKTORRISTO'WN, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOTTLE OR JAR STOPPER.

T0 all'wiwmitmay concern: Be it known that I, EDWIN METGALF, a

citizen of the United States, residing at No-rristown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bottle or Jar Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

An object of the invention is to provide a stopper or closure for jars, bottles or other receptacles for hermetically sealing the same.

The invention contemplates among other features the provision of a closure which can be readily applied to a jar, bottle or other receptacle and which by a simple operation will serve to hermetically seal the receptacle and keep the contents thereof in a clean and sanitary state.

The invention is particularly adaptable for use on milk bottles and the like to re place the usual card board wafer now generally used on milk bottles and which is not only an insecure closure and fails tohermetically seal a bottle or jar but which furthermore is unsanitary and ofttimes upon being slightly displaced or wrongly applied results in some of the contents of the receptacle leaking therefrom.

Inthe further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the device showing the same applied to a receptacle with the device in unsealed position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the device in sealed position. Fig.

3 is a horizontal sectional view takenon the line 33 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4- is a perspec tive view of the device removed from the receptacle.

Referring more particularly to the views I disclose a receptacle 10 which can be in the nature of a bottle or jar and which includes a suitable neck 11. A member 12, preferably in the nature of a concave disk or plate includes an annular flange 13 forming a seat 14: for a washer 15 which projects beyond the flange as shown in the views, and the said member 12 is preferably made of a spring-like material and is superposed upon an actuating member 16 consisting of a circular plate 17 between which and the flange 13 the washer 15 is adapted to repose with Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 31, 1914.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

Serial No. 828,573.

the member 12 also reposing on the plate'l7 as shown. The plate 17 has a central upwardly extending threaded stem 18 passing loosely through an opening 19 in a disk 20 reposing upon the upper edge of the neck 11 of the receptacle 10, and the said plate 17 also has a plurality of opposed pins 20 proecting upwardly therefrom and passing through slots 22 formed in the member 12, said pins also passing through apertures 23 formed in the disk 20. A suitable key 24: has threaded connection with the projecting end of the stem 18 and is adapted to bear against the upper face of the disk 20.

In the use of the device described the stopper is arranged within the neck as shown after the receptacle has been filled with the desired fluid or substance, the key 24 at this time being in its uppermost position upon the stem 18 so as to provide the greatest possiblespace between the plate 17 and the disk 20 thus permitting the member 12.to assume a normal and contracted position between the plate and disk so that the washer 15 will not engage the inner wall of the neck. Now by turning the key 2"? and screwing the same up upon the stem 18 it will be apparent that the space between the plate 17 and disk 20 will be decreased and in consequence the disk 20 bearing against the member 12 will force the same to slightly flatten, due to its spring-like nature, so that the washer 15 will expand and have its peripheral edge moved into engagement with the inner wall of the neck. As the screwing up of the key 24 upon the stem 18 is continued the washer '15 will be brought I into greater contact with the inner wall of the neck and will thus form a tight joint which will hermetically seal the receptacle. It will be apparent that there will be no rotation of the plate 17 and disk 20 for the reason that the frictional engagement of the disk with the upper end of the receptacle will prevent such rotation of the disk and the engagement of the pins 21 with the disk 20 will of course also prevent rotation of the plate 17. The slots 22 are elongated to provide sufiicient play for the member 12 and which when pressure is applied to its medial surface by the disk 20 and to its edge by the plate 17 will not interfere with the action of the member 12 in expanding the rubber washer 15.

It will be understood that I do not limit myself to the particular construction disclosed herein; that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention; that any suitable form of key can be provided and that the scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with a receptacle in cluding a neck, a disk adapted to repose upon the neck, plate adapted to depend within the neck, a threaded stem carried by the plate and projecting through an opening in the disk, a key threaded on the stem and adapted to bear against the disk when the key is screwed up on the stem, acurved resilient member interposed between, the plate and the disk and adapted to be flexed when the key is screwed up on the stem, an annular flange on the said member and a washer carried by the Il nge and adapted to bear. against the inner wall of the neck when the said member is flexed.

2. In a stopper for receptacles the combination with a disk adapted to repose upon the receptacle, of a plate adapted to lie within the neck of the receptacle, a threaded stem attached to the plate and projecting through the dish, a key on the stem and adapted to screw up thereon to engage the disk, a resilient member interposed between the plate and the disk with the plate and disk adapted to bear against said member, a flange on the member, a washer encircling the flange and adapted to be moved into engagement with the wall of the receptacle when therkey is screwed up on the said stem to move the said plate and disk toward each other and pins projecting from the plateand passing through the member and disk to mid the plate and member against rotation relatively to the disk. 7 3. In a closnrefor receptacles, the combination with a plate, of a resilient member on the plate, a disk, pins projecting fromthe plate to pass through the resilient member and the, disk, a washer carried bythe member and means for moving the plate and disk toward each other to act upon the resilient member whereby the saidwasher will be expanded into engagement with the wall of the receptacle having the closure applied thereto, p p,

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. 1 v

. EDWIN METCALF.

Witnesses: I v

Hanna P, HIL'rNEn, Gnonen WV. HrrcHcooir.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

